The Ancient Library
The most famous among all ancient and medieval libraries was the Library
of Alexandria. Not only was it the largest in all antiquity, but also it was associated with scientific research and was frequented by scholars
from all over the Mediterranean. Even after its disappearance since
1600 years ago, it continues to survive in the memory of all scholars
to this day.
The ancient Library of Alexandria was an amazing intellectual adventure
that promoted knowledge and openness to the other, and for seven
centuries was a beacon of learning and science.
Foundation of the Mouseion and the Library
The first Ptolemaic kings were determined to establish Egypt as
the preeminent kingdom of their time. Alexandria became the center
for science, arts, literature and philosophy. It was the policy of
the Ptolemies to bring writers, poets, artists, and scientists to Alexandria from all over the ancient world to enrich the two
unprecedented institutions: the “Mouseion?and the “Library? The
Mouseion, or shrine for the Muses (Museum in Latin) was the first scientific institute and the greatest university in ancient times.
The Library was the first universal library.
There is hardly any doubt that it was Demetrius of Phalerum (an
Athenian statesman, peripatetic philosopher and the counselor of
Ptolemy I Soter since c. 297 BC) who suggested to King Ptolemy I
Soter the idea of establishing a great research center in Alexandria
to be known as the Mouseion with an important library attached to it.
The precise date of the foundation of these two institutions is
unspecified but it is probable that Soter took the very first
measures towards their establishment in c. 290 BC, then the task
was fulfilled by Ptolemy II Philadelphus, for it is well settled
that both the Library and the Mouseion flourished and offered the
ancient world their unique achievements during the reign of
Philadelphus.
Ptolemy I Soter (c. 367/6-283/2 B.C.)
Demetrius of Phalerum (b. c. 350 B.C.)
Ptolemy II Philadelphus (308-246 B.C.)
Foundation of the “Daughter Library?/font>
At the beginning, there was the Library close to the Mouseion within
the precincts of the royal palaces overlooking the great harbor. A
little more than half a century later, when the amount of books
acquired exceeded its capacity, it was decided to open an
additional facility to accommodate the surplus books. This
“Daughter Library?was incorporated into the Serapeum, or Temple of
Serapis, which was situated at a distance from the royal quarter,
in the Egyptian district south of the city. The Serapeum “Daughter
Library?soon developed into a proper library and in the Roman
period it became an active center of learning.
Chief Librarians
The Librarian of Alexandria (the chief of the library) was one of
the highest and most honorable official posts and was appointed by
the king himself. The chief librarian was usually chosen from the
most prominent persons in science or literature. They personally
enriched scholarship in Alexandria.
Unfortunately, there is no agreement (beyond Demetrius of Phaleron
as the founding leader of the ancient Library) on any one list of
the Library’s chief librarians. The most probable list is the following:
o Zenodotus of Ephesus (c.285- c.270 BC)
o Apollonius of Rhodes (c.270-245 BC)
o Eratosthenes of Cyrene (245-204/1 BC)
o Aristophanes of Byzantium (204/1-189/6 BC)
o Apollonius (Eidographos) (189/6-175 BC)
o Aristarchus of Samothrace (175-145 BC)
o Kydas (one of the Spearmen)(145-116 BC)
Holdings and Collections
The ancient Library was the only truly universal library. Although no
exact count exists, probably at its peak it held some 700,000 scrolls,
equivalent to about 100-125,000 printed books today). The Library
also encouraged translations, and the Septuagint, the first translation
of the Old Testament from Hebrew to Greek, took place there). The
Ptolemaic kings paid special attention to enrich the Library with
the treasures of knowledge in all fields and branches of knowledge.
They were anxious to acquire originals of works and the most valuable
collections, beyond buying and copying books. They searched each ship
that visited Alexandria and if a book was found, it would be taken to
the Library to be copied and the copy would be returned to the owner.
The Library Vanishes
Despite serious contradictions between different studies on the fate
of the Library of Alexandria, we can piece together the history of
its destruction over some 450 years. The first fire was in 48 BC
during the Alexandrian war in which Caesar became involved to support
Cleopatra VII against her brother Ptolemy XIII. According to some
sources nearly 40,000 books were burned in the fire of 48 BC, other
versions of the story place the number at 400,000. Marc Anthony
compensated Cleopatra with the gift of the 200,000 scrolls from
Pergamum. The Mouseion itself was destroyed along with the Royal
Quarter sometime in the third century AD during the strife and
accompanying power struggles that shook the Roman Empire.
The “Daughter Library?survived till the end of the fourth century.
A decree by Emperor Theodosius in 391 AD forbade non-Christian
(pagan) religions. Theophilus (the Bishop of Alexandria from 385 to
412 AD) destroyed the Serapeum and its “Daughter Library?as being the
house of pagan doctrine. Scholars survived for another generation till
the murder of Hypatia in 415 AD and the end of the era of Alexandrian
scholarship. In 415 A.D., the Christian historian Orosius visited
Alexandria and reported: “There are temples nowadays, which we have
seen, whose bookcases have been emptied by our men. And this is a
matter that admits no doubt?/i> (Orosius 6.15.32). His statement
confirms that the library never existed since the fifth century.
This was over two centuries before the Arab conquest to Egypt in 642
A.D.
--
__________________________________________________________
Sign-up for your own FREE Personalized E-mail at Mail.com
http://www.mail.com/?sr=signup
Save up to $160 by signing up for NetZero Platinum Internet service.
http://www.netzero.net/?refcd=N2P0602NEP8
_______________________________________________
Nettime-bold mailing list
Nettime-bold {AT} nettime.org
http://amsterdam.nettime.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/nettime-bold